Men's basketball: CU Buffs fall to Arizona State in overtime

Colorado's Sabatino Chen walks off the court after Saturday's overtime loss, while Arizona State players celebrate in the background at the Coors Events Center.
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CLIFF GRASSMICK
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John Elway didn't show up for this less-hyped grudge match.

But another former Denver Broncos quarterback who was in attendance, Jake Plummer, was celebrating The Drive at the Coors Events Center in the visitors' locker room.

It wasn't 98 yards, but Evan Gordon's driving layup as time expired in overtime broke the C-Unit's hearts the way Elway tormented Cleveland Browns fans back in the day.

Colorado's defensive breakdown spoiled another spectacular performance by Spencer Dinwiddie as the Buffs' three-game winning streak came to an end with a deflating 63-62 loss to Arizona State on Saturday night in front of 10,926 stunned witnesses.

"I didn't know if it even went in or not," Gordon said of his game-winning basket, which swirled around the rim before dropping through the net.

"I just know my teammates jumped off the bench and came over and tackled me."

Dinwiddie delivered again, going 14-for-14 at the free throw line and making a go-ahead basket with 8.3 seconds remaining in overtime.

The sophomore guard also set up Xavier Johnson for a game-tying dunk with 2.0 seconds left in regulation that forced the extra five minutes.

Dinwiddie, who is 31-for-31 at the foul line in the last three games, finished with 24 points. Askia Booker added 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, but it wasn't enough to match the Sun Devils inside-outside attack.

Jahii Carson led the visitors with 18 points and Gordon finished with 14 off the bench.

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Jordan Bachynski, who had 16 points and nine blocks in Arizona State's 65-56 win in Tempe, added 12 points and knocked Josh Scott out of the game.

The Sun Devils (19-7, 8-5) led 54-48 with 1:19 remaining in regulation. After Dinwiddie's 13th and 14th free throws swished, Johnson was able to force a jump ball to give the Buffs possession.

Booker's high-arcing floater in the lane made the score 54-52 with 46.6 seconds left. Then Arizona State com-mitted a shot clock violation on the other end.

Dinwiddie escaped a trap, broke the press and calmly dished the ball to Johnson for the equalizing slam.

Carrick Felix caught a Plummer-like pass but just missed an 18-foot jump shot at the buzzer.

Andre Roberson got a jumper to rattle home with 1:45 left in overtime that gave his team a 60-59 lead. Carson answered with a tough shot along the baseline to put Arizona State back on top.

After Felix missed two free throws, Dinwiddie took the ball down the court and banked in a shot to give CU its final lead (62-61).

With 16:02 remaining, Scott hit the deck after losing a personal MMA bout in the paint with Bachynski. The 6-10 freshman had to leave the game to get treatment in the locker room for what CU described as an "elbow to the head."

The officials looked at a replay and disagreed, assessing the foul to Scott.

Bachynski attacked the rim for a dunk on the ensuing possession to give the Sun Devils a 33-29 lead.

With 6:54 remaining, Johnson was slow to get up after crashing into the hardwood after soaring for a rebound attempt.

Dinwiddie was also shaken up late in the game but shrugged off the pain.

Jonathan Gilling connected on a 3-pointer to break a 38-38 tie. Then Roberson committed a frustration foul on Gilling, who knocked down two free throws to give the Sun Devils a 45-40 advantage with 5:01 left.

Dinwiddie -- who scored 45 points and was 17-for-17 at the free throw line in the previous two games -- made 10 consecutive from the charity stripe over the final 4:33 to keep CU in the game.

The Buffs trailed 27-24 at the intermission after making only eight of 21 field goals (38.1 percent) and allowing Arizona State to shoot 57.1 percent.

Led by Bachynski (3-for-3), the Sun Devils were 9-for-9 inside the arc and 3-for-12 from 3-point distance in the first half.

CU took a 17-15 lead after a 3-pointer by Xavier Talton. Another deep ball by Dinwiddie capped an 11-0 run to make the score 22-15 with 5:00 remaining in the half.

Gordon ended a scoring drought of 7: 37 for the visitors with a triple that sparked a 9-2 run to end the half.

It was only the third time this season that the Buffs trailed at home at halftime. They came back to beat Texas Southern in double-overtime and lost to UCLA the other time.

The Buffs (17-9, 7-6) -- who did not respond well in practice on Friday after the 71-58 victory over No. 9 Arizona -- will try to regroup next Thursday against Utah after having their three-game winning streak snapped.

Notable

CU honored the 1962-63 Buffs, who won a share of the Big Eight regular-season title and played in the NCAA Tournament. ... The series with Arizona State is tied 4-4 after the Sun Devils swept the regular-season series. ... Cory Higgins owns the CU and Big 12 record for consecutive free throws made at 45. Dinwiddie needs to make his next 14 to break the record.

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